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[lastdecember]

This is the after hours contact for Nicholas Wolfwood, Logistics. If this is an emergency, stop wasting everyone's time and page me.

Comments

[lastdecember]

[ That's a thing? That's weird. Having a friend is so weird. ]

I guess so. I'll see you in the mess hall in an hour.

[plantussy]

You got it!

[ It's great having a friend, Vash thinks as he plops his ass on a chair an hour later in the mess hall and puts the freshly-made coffees down - one black coffee and a latte with a bit of whipped cream on top. One doughnut and a sandwich for him is also put down next to his coffee, as he figures Wolfwood will synthesize whatever food he wants.

Her stretches a bit and takes out the CL-10 to go over some of the power generator readings while he waits. ]

[lastdecember]

[ Wolfwood shows up scowling about ten minutes later, freshly scrubbed and hair still damp. He doesn't bother with the synthesizer, instead just dropping into the seat across from Vash and downing half his (now room temperature) coffee in one go. He can't drink on the clock, but there's no rules about caffeine limits. ]

Why the hell is there a holodeck program that rains food?!

[ Hi Saverem. ]

[plantussy]

I'm sorry, what?

[ Vash replies, briefly looking very confused. Then he glances at his half-eaten donut, and okay, he could see the fantasy. If he wasn't sweeted-out from L3TH3's shtick, the idea of baked goods falling from the sky straight into his mouth is something he's definitely dreamed of in his sleep. ]

I guess surrealist things are good to relax with. No need to worry about work when there's food raining from the sky.

[lastdecember]

What's relaxin' about getting meatballs bombed at you?

[ Here, by the way. From his pocket Wolfwood pulls out a case with four optical crystals, and slides it across the table. ]

I figured leavin' the safe-for-work setting on to test the damn thing would be enough, but no, some asshole has a program in there where it's rainin' spaghetti.

[ It was not relaxing. Plus, it totally ruined his appetite for the moment. ]

Stupid.

very underrated movie <3

[plantussy]

I don't know. That sounds messier than what I thought of.

[ Really messy. Just pasta sauce and noodles everywhere, meatballs bouncing off of people's heads? Less fun than floating pastries.

Instead Vash reaches out to take the crystals, inspecting one. They're just the right cut and weight for him to use with the cables, so he smiles. ]

Thank you, Wolfwood. These are perfect.

and a cute book too!

[lastdecember]

[ The crystals have also been washed off. The sauce really did get everywhere. ]

Lemme know if you need more. I've got the rest of that lot in a crate downstairs, just takin' up space in storage.

[ It takes a lot of crystals to manipulate hard light into a fully immersive environment! He'd never spent much time in a holodeck, much less looked behind the panels, and he's amazed at how complicated the arrangement in the emitter was... and a little surprised that he was able to replace all those crystals without getting even one out of alignment. Anybody else would be proud of their work, but Wolfwood's just happy he didn't fuck it up. ]

Guess I could recalibrate 'em if I had to, but that kind of work is really above my pay grade.

ooh gotta check that out

[plantussy]

I will! These will last for a while, but you never know.

[ It's a work of marvel, the holodecks, and must be hell to maintain. Still, they're important for crew leisure and mental health. It's the only place they'll see trees and blue skies for probably the remainder of their time on the Mnemosyne. ]

As long as it all works, fine-tuning it can be left to automatic modes. No need to worry.

Re: ooh gotta check that out

[lastdecember]

[ He really should have tested the emitters with a program for trees and blue skies, but it's already hard enough being stuck on this ship. If he started pretending like he could go outside and breathe fresh air, he might never leave the holodeck. It's a real worry.

And speaking of worries... Wolfwood glances over at Vash, then quickly downs the rest of his cold coffee. ]

Yeah.

[ Non-sequitor incoming, just as soon as he can work up the nerve! There's nobody around to overhear, so any second now...

Deep breath, okay. ]

Are you rememberin' stuff that's not real too?

[ Smooth. Very smooth. ]

[plantussy]

[ Vash is happily eating his sandwich while waiting for Wolfwood to continue whatever he obviously had on his mind, but the bite is quickly coughed up when the nerve is reached and his friend asks that. ]

Y-you too?

[lastdecember]

[ He'd been hoping that Vash would look at him like he was nuts. No such luck, huh? Wolfwood nods, and wishes that there was something stronger in his cup than just the dregs of black coffee. ]

It might be all of us. Hilbert said somethin about memory insertion the other day, and I'm sure this is what he was talking about.

[ It's not like he asked Hilbert what he was talking about. Fuck Hilbert. ]

Somethin' happened, when we were in cryo. The damn AI put somebody else's memories in our heads. I didn't even think that was possible.

[ He's keeping his voice low even though there's nobody around to overhear, but it's no less intense for being quiet. He's freaked out. ]

[plantussy]

That might explain why the pods threw us out...

[ Vash muses, hands tightening around his own coffee cup. Someone else's memories, though? ]

I saw myself as a kid. It wasn't someone else... but also definitely wasn't something I've even done.

[ Should he tell...? Well, if Wolfwood knows about the memories, he deserves to know how weird it can get. Plus it might change the suspect. L3TH3 could fuck up their minds, but she couldn't change bodies.

...right?

Reaching for his tool belt, Vash takes out a pen light. ]

It wasn't just memories, though. Look at my eyes.

[ He leans forward and shines the light in his eyes. The odd lines that appear in them are somehow a mix of circuitry and something more natural. ]

That wasn't there before!

[lastdecember]

[ Wolfwood's about to explain that his memory couldn't have been him, because there's no way he could have fought the monster he remembers fighting -- he's strong, but he's not that strong! -- but then Saverem pulls out a pen light and shines it on himself. Wolfwood leans forward, curious, then jolts back when he sees what Vash is talking about. ]

What the hell is that?!

[ There's lines in his eyes! Over the sclera and iris both, lines, like somebody took a light pen and traced circuits there. It'd be pretty if it wasn't so wrong ]

How the hell are there lines in your eyes?!

[plantussy]

I don't know! I just showed up a few weeks ago!

[ He turns the pen-light off with a bit of an uncomfortable look on his face. ]

Dr. Hilbert doesn't know what it is, either. Aside from the lines, my eyes are perfectly normal. Just like they've always been.

[lastdecember]

[ Memories are one thing -- they could have been shuffled around when everyone was in cryo and they're only being noticed now -- but something like eyes? Something clearly new?

He's not going to stop freaking out anytime soon, sorry. ]

He's lying. It was either him or Doc Jiaoqiu, unless L3TH3 did it. Somebody did that to you.

[ Somebody injected shit into his eyes. That's weird in a way Wolfwood would never have imagined! ]

Shit like that doesn't just happen.

[plantussy]

[ That's fine, they can freak out about it together. Vash isn't exactly happy about about these new lines, but at least they didn't affect his vision - and the fact that she had them as well made it less frightening. ]

It wasn't Jiaoqui, it happened long after he went back to cryo. I don't think it was Dr. Hilbert either, he seemed genuinely frustrated that he couldn't tell me what it was.

[ Vash glances down at his food and then pushes it to the side. He's not eating after this. ]

I think it had something to do with the memory I got. I was myself but as a kid, looking at this... woman floating in a tank. She was ethereal, like an alien, and full of these lines that glowed brightly. Not just in her eyes, but all over her face and body.

[ He felt to safe with her. Even as that little boy. ]

If that memory was implanted, maybe the eyes are a side effect.

[lastdecember]

[ Wolfwood just shakes his head, trying hard not to wonder if Saverem's got those lines anywhere else. ]

You said they just showed up one day, right? Remembering stuff, real or not, wouldn't make your eyes change.

[ Only people -- or machines -- can do that. Somebody did this to Vash, and they're going to find out who. ]

What day was it? When you first noticed 'em?

[plantussy]

That's true. It's just... weird that they match what I was remembering. That can't be a coincidence.

[ There's a bit of a pause as he goes over the timeline. ]

I think it was around the fourth that I noticed it, and I saw Dr. Hilbert about it on the sixth. The memory came earlier, a day or so after the big alien left.

[lastdecember]

[ That's all he needed to hear. Wolfwood pushes back from the table and stands, turning expectantly to Vash. ]

Let's see if there's anything on the security feeds.

[ Whether it was the AI, the alien, or somebody on the ship, if anyone went into Savement's quarters, they'll be on video... or, more likely, the video will show signs of being tampered with. Either way, it'll be an answer.

You coming? ]

[plantussy]

[ Vash is a bit stunned at first, but then scrambles to get out of his chair so that he can join Wolfwood. It feels... well, nice. For some reason he always feels happy at the other man's side. ]

We probably need to talk to Massani or the other two security guys to get tapes.

[ He's not sure if he wants even more people knowing he has an issue, but it's not like he doesn't trust them.

...well, at least Massani. He has barely talked to the other two men. ]

[lastdecember]

If we have to.

[ If there's nobody in the security office then maybe they'll be able to take a look on their own. The fewer people who know that somebody's been performing unwanted surgeries on the crew, the better. ]

I don't want anyone thinkin' you're a risk now that somebody's done that shit to you.

[ Even though he might be. Even though the alien might be watching them all through Vash's eyes, or who knows what else? ]

[plantussy]

We have to! It's procedure... and you're already in enough trouble.

[ No need to get on everyone's shitlist, Wolfwood. ]

I'm not saying we have to tell him exactly why, [ He's not stupid, after all. ] but asking to see some tapes shouldn't be an issue.

[ Vash thought about that, too... if someone could be seeing things through his eyes, now. However, if it is that woman? Then he's not worried at all. ]

[lastdecember]

[ Fuck the police, Saverem. ]

Okay, so we tell 'em something else. Some other reason why we want to see who was in your quarters around then.

[ If it was L3TH3, the damn thing's already listening to them and there's nothing they can do about that, but if it was one of the crew, or the alien, then dammit he needs to know it! He needs to know whot o go kill. ]

How about... somethin' got stolen?

[plantussy]

That could work, but it would also mean that we'd create a 'thief', and everyone's paranoid enough as it is.

[ He taps the bottle-glass green arm thoughtfully. ]

Maybe we can ask to check it for sleepwalking.

[lastdecember]

[ Oh, that's clever. That's a much better idea. ]

You should go in by yourself then. Wouldn't make sense for me to be there askin' about something like that.

[ A theft, sure, that affects everyone, but sleepwalking? That doesn't have anything to do with him. ]

Plus, if it's Massani in there, he'd tell me no just to be a dick.